The plot thickens, and things are starting to get a lot darker.
Surely there is more to this than Eric, now Erica, owing Fat Steve  £500?

“I KNOW THEY CAME HERE YOU FAGGOT! NOW TELL ME WHERE THEY ARE!”

“I s....s....said I d....d.....don't know” stuttered a tearful Sammy.
Mr. Wright had him pinned up against one of the full length mirrors in his salon by the collar.

“Are you lieing to me?” Mr. Wright stared directly into Sammy's eyes, with a look of pure evil pasted across his face “...Because you don't lie to the Job Centre Samuel, we will RIP. YOU. APART!”

Balls of spit were being fired all over the defenceless Sammy, who was now unable to hold back the tears.

“Look,” Mr. Wright had now softened his tone “I'm going to ask you one last time, have you seen this boy?” he held up a photo of a grinning Eric.

“N....n.....no.”

Mr Wright sighed, he reached into his jacket and pulled out a gleaming samurai sword. Sammy remained frozen with fear.

“Y....y.....you carry a samurai sword in your jacket?”

“Yes, yes I do.”

Sammy was quizzical, but stayed with his back against the mirror.
Mr. Wright, however, showed no emotion whatsoever.

“I hope you understand, Mr. Samuel, that once this sword has been drawn, it can't be returned until it has tasted blood.”

Sammy gulped.

“So tell me, whose is it going to be, Eric's? ….Or yours?”

“I like your dress”

Erica simply offered him a weak smile. Ian's compliment had done little to kill the awkward silence that had swept over the van since Eric's transition.

“Look, this doesn't have to be awkward. I can just treat you like a girl, and you can act like one.”

“But I don't know the first thing about acting like a girl!”

“Just talk in a high pitch voice, and sway your hips around whilst walking. You're not trying to win a beauty pageant or nothing, you're just trying to be passable.”

Erica nodded. She knew that she had to start embracing her new self.
“Sooooo....” Erica crossed her legs and gazed into Ian's eyes whilst flickering her eyelashes, “Tell me a little more about yourself.”

“Well, i'm 26, an ex-Job Centre worker, and I own a VW Camper Van. What more is there to know?” he laughed and Erica soon joined in with her own feminine giggles.
But their laughter was short lived....

“Oh shit!” Ian exclaimed.

“What is it?” Erica grasped hold of Ian's knee.

He pulled over.

“Why did you pull over Ian?” Erica started panicking “Ian!? Ian look at me!”

“Good evening Sir and Madam, how are you this evening?” Erica turned her head towards her window to find a police after poking his head through.

“Fine thankyou.” Ian responded calmly, “What seems to be the problem Officer?”

“Well, security cameras seem to have followed your van from Sammy's Salon over in East London, would I be right in saying you've just come from that particular Salon?”

“Yes, officer.”

“Well, you see, there's been a murder down at Sammy's Salon, and yours is the only vehicle that has come from there today.”

Erica gasped.

The officer scanned Ian and Erica “Sir, madam, may I please ask you to exit the vehicle, you are both under arrest for suspicion of murder.”

“O....k.....officer” Ian was tapping the steering wheel nervously.
Just as Erica was about to open her door, Ian hit full throttle and they were off.

“What do you think you're doing?” she screamed at him.

“We can't get arrested Erica, we just can't.”

“Well, now we're fugitives from the law as well as on the run from Fat Steve!”

“Don't you get it? Fat Steve IS the law?”

“You mean....”

“Yes! The police are wrapped around Fat Steve's fat finger!”

“Oh gosh! Well, what now?”

“We're getting on the next plane out of here, that's what.”

'YOU HAVE 1 NEW MESSAGE'.
Fat Tony opened up his phone, he took a few seconds to read the message before putting it back in his pocket.
“They're taking the 8:35 flight to Rome” he looked over to his right at a short, latino man, “Do you remember what it is you've got to do?”

“Yes boss” replied the latino man.

“Very well, i'll see you in Rome. DON'T LET ME DOWN!”

“Ok, so, before we go inside the airport, I need you to do me a little favour?” Ian looked bashfully over to Erica.

“Oh! Is this the favour I owe you?”

“Mmmmhmm.” He handed her a small package.

“What is this Ian, is... is this drugs?”

Ian threw his hands up “You got me!”

“I'm a drug mule?”

“Well yes, I needed someone innocent and cute to carry it in through their rectum for me, that's all.” he grinned.

“Oh, well.... ok then....”

“And believe me when I say, you are cute girl!”

Erica blushed.

“Now are you ok to sneak those bad boys up that fine ass of yours?”

“Sure thing, baby” she winked at him, and slipped into the back of the van.

“Wait how am I going to get on the plane? I look nothing like my passport photo anymore” Erica questioned, as the pair stood in line, waiting to claim their tickets.

“Don't worry love, I settled it while you were at the salon.” he handed her a passport “You're very own passport, Erica Moore.” Ian winked at her.

“Wow! Is this legal?”

“Hell no!”

They both laughed as they stepped up to the front of the queue.

“Quick, we need to hurry, the gate closes in a few minutes!”

“I'm running as fast as I can in these darn heels!” cried back Erica.

Ian pressed himself against the desk and showed the two tickets to the flight attendant.

The attendant smiled at Ian and ushered him in.

“My friend will be here in a moment, could you leave the gate open for her?”

“Sure thing, sir”

Erica was breathless and had stopped looking were she was going when she ran into someone.

“Oh my god, I am so sorry Miss.” the man offered Erica a hand, as she had fallen to the floor.

“Oh, it's entirely my fault, I wasn't looking where I was going at all” she giggled.

“My names Diego by the way.”

“Oh, that's great, listen i've got to hurry it was really nice meeting you though!” Erica proceeded to run, but once again struggling, not helped by the fact that she felt the drugs has slid all the way up her butt due to the collision with Diego.

She got to the gate to find an impatient Flight Attendant waiting for her. Erica offered her apologies, and entered the plane.

Ian and Erica were once again sat together, this time however they were in the air rather than in the front of a run down Camper Van.

Ian put his arm around Erica, as she leant into his chest.

Erica looked up to Ian's face, “When we get to Rome, will we be safe?”

“Yes, dear.”

“You promise?”

“Yes, I promise that once we get to Rome, we'll be safe” Ian kissed Erica on the forehead as she found herself falling asleep to the sound of Ian's heartbeat against her cheek.

TO BE CONTINUED....